iWorld
OTT: Videos’ augmented quality, content search & personalised recommendations vital, says Corpus COO
MUMBAI: Millennials are changing the dynamics of video consumption by preferring their handheld devices to conventional TV viewing. With improving infrastructure and internet penetration in India, the technology of delivering seamless video over-the-top is also evolving.
Corpus Media Labs, a video technology enabler, specializes in providing end-to-end wireline and wireless OTT platform across multi-screens.
According to a report, 72% of the time spent by a smartphone user is on watching video, and it is estimated that India will cross 500 million smart phone users by 2017. This generation wants their content to be like instant noodles – Spicy, Instant and On-demand. They expect an apt search result and quick discovery of their favorite content with more personalized recommendations. Besides new content, millennials also look for a seamless video quality and intuitive user experience on their OTT platform.
Corpus Media COO Dave Maan believes that OTT shouldn’t just be an alternative to broadcast and cable — it needs to be an improvement. In addition to matching broadcast and cable video quality, it needs to offer viewers what broadcast and cable can’t, things like interactivity, personalised advertising, engaging user interfaces, and access anytime, anywhere.
“Augmented perceptual quality of the videos, search & discovery of the content, personalised recommendations are the most crucial elements for user experience,” he says.
Corpus Media Labs has developed a robust B2B OTT platform, called Video Corpus, which can deliver Live TV, Video on Demand (VOD), Music on Demand (MOD), 4K content, Catch-up TV across multiple screens. Corpus Smart Analytics collects over fifty data points on user’s behavior and their consumption patterns and bring meaningful statistics for driving marketing and promotion strategy of the contents on the OTT platform. After their success in wireline and wireless platforms, Corpus has now entered “Streaming on Wheels” which is focused on providing Content on Demand (CoD) on public transports like buses and railways.
Corpus exhibited at Broadcast Asia 2017, held in Singapore, where they launched B2B Content on Demand (CoD) Platform. The exhibition proved to be a great success, with many global content providers showing interest in Content on Demand (CoD) . Corpus also showcased their much talked triple play platform operating in Andhra Pradesh state as AP FibreNet-a state government initiative.
iWorld
Prime Video to stream Tamil thriller Exam from May 15
Seven-episode series from National Award-winner A. Sarkunam streams in India and 240-plus countries
MUMBAI: Prime Video announced on April 27th that Exam, a taut seven-episode suspense drama set against the crucible of high-stakes competitive testing, will premiere on May 15th in India and across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Written and directed by A. Sarkunam, a National Award-winner, the series is produced under the Wallwatcher Films banner by the creative duo Pushkar and Gayatri, who have previously delivered Suzhal: The Vortex (both seasons) and Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie for the platform. Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan lead the cast, with Abbas in a pivotal role.
The show will stream in Tamil with dubbed versions in Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada, and subtitles in 15 languages, including English, a distribution sweep that underscores Prime Video’s push to globalise Indian regional content.
Nikhil Madhok, director and head of originals at Prime Video India, framed the series as both timely and commercially astute. “Exam is a very timely and relevant story that captures the emotional intensity of competitive exams and masterfully transforms it into a thrilling high-stakes drama,” he said. “We believe it is a story that will resonate deeply with millions.” Madhok noted that it was a privilege to once again collaborate with Pushkar and Gayatri following the success of Suzhal and Vadhandhi.
For Pushkar and Gayatri, the series is as much a moral reckoning as a thriller. “With Exam, we wanted to dig into ambition, injustice, and those moral crossroads that people face when pushed to the edge,” the creative producers said. “At the heart of this story is a young woman who refuses to remain powerless. Her journey is not about glamorising defiance, but about exploring the emotional and ethical cost of standing up to a system stacked against her.” They described Prime Video as “an incredible collaborator” and “the perfect home” to bring the series to global audiences.
Wallwatcher Films, which Pushkar and Gayatri founded and run, has been on a productive streak with the platform. Beyond Exam, the company is also readying Vadhandhi Season 2 for Prime Video, making the duo one of the platform’s most active regional creative partners.
The real exam, it seems, is for Prime Video itself: can a Tamil drama about systemic injustice and a young woman’s defiance crack audiences from Chennai to Chicago? If Pushkar and Gayatri’s track record is anything to go by, the answer is likely yes, and the results will be out on May 15th.
